5-Year-Old Elephant Durga Arrives at Madurai Temple After 3,000-Km Journey From Assam (WATCH)

A five-year-old female elephant named Durga received a grand welcome at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai on Tuesday, arriving at the historic shrine on the auspicious occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi. Durga travelled nearly 3,000 kilometres from Assam to Tamil Nadu before making her way into the temple premises. As the young elephant arrived, temple staff and devotees gathered to welcome her, showering flowers in a warm and festive reception.

#WATCH | Madurai’s Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundaraswarar Temple already has a female elephant named Parvathi. As a new addition, a five-year-old female elephant named Durga has arrived from Assam through Seva Trust, Chennai.

(Source: Meenakshi Temple Management) pic.twitter.com/Nx4dYXGQGF

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Durga is now the second female elephant at the Meenakshi Amman Temple, joining Parvathi, who was already part of the temple’s animal residents.

Her arrival was made possible after the forest department granted permission for her transfer from Assam. The move followed a recent ruling by the Madras High Court Bench, which set aside an earlier single-judge order that had prohibited temples from purchasing elephants or accepting them as donations.

Following the court’s ruling, the forest department cleared Durga’s transfer to the Meenakshi Amman Temple.

The elephant was not the only new addition to the temple in recent days. A camel was also purchased and brought to the temple just a few days earlier.

Durga’s arrival on Vinayaka Chaturthi drew considerable attention from devotees, who gathered at the temple premises to catch a glimpse of the young elephant as she was welcomed into her new home.